MVHC Provides Highly Protective Masks Throughout the Four County Region

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- Since the start of the year, the Muskingum Valley Health Centers (MVHC) have been providing rural communities with healthcare essentials through their mobile units.

With the recent surge of COVID-19, MVHC was selected from the first 200 health centers to be a part of the Health Resource and Service Administration program, which allows them to distribute free N95 masks to residents.

So far, they have given away 2,000 N95 masks throughout the four county region, according to Dan Atkinson, Chief Executive Officer at MVHC.

“The Federal Government has helped try to mitigate the risk of the spread of COVID-19 by utilizing health center programs and health centers across the country to help distribute home COVID-19 testing as well as the N95 mask program,” Atkinson stated. “This is just a way to help community members have additional protection against the virus.”

Atkinson said that the N95 masks do provide a higher level of protection rather than the surgical and cloth masks.

“The N95 is designed to let less virus or any kind of substance come through the mask. It’s rated higher and it’s something that is typically found in the medical field that is utilized to protect the individuals who’s providing services, the healthcare professionals. So this would give individual patients in our community that higher level of protection with this higher grade N95 mask,” Atkinson said.

The MVHC mobile unit will be giving out masks in McConnelsville located at the Mayor’s office this Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and at the Christ Table this Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

To view a full schedule for more upcoming mask distributions events and mobile health clinics, please visit at mvhccares.org/mobileunit.